Fires
- A small fire at Mr. Hill’s drapery in Castle road, Feb 1st.
- A serious fire at Mr. Cope’s, stationer, West Marina, Feb 20th.
- Alarm of Fire at a fisherman’s, in East street, July 27th.
These are all described in “Fires and Firemen”.
A proposed Public Hall
On Friday, the 21st of February, a meeting, convened by circular, was held at the Castle Hotel, with F. North, Esq., in the chair. Mr. Henry Simmons, who issued the circular, stated that the subject of a public hall had often been present to his own mind, and had also been brought before him by several inhabitants. Having been once before engaged in a similar undertaking in another town, he had been solicited to take some steps for obtaining that which Hastings so much needed, and he had succeeded in obtaining offers of two plots of ground — one on the Crown Estate, and the other on Mr. Clement’s land, opposite. He had drawn up a calculation of the probable income and expenditure, which he would lay before the meeting. He was sorry the project had not emanated from an older man. He had only been in the neighborhood about three years, though he had known Hastings for a considerable time. — Mr. Abel Shirley moved, and Mr. Newman Ward seconded a general resolution that it was desirable to erect a building for a public hall, corn market and assembly-room. — The offer of Mr. Philip Barnes of a plot of ground on the Crown Estate was rejected, because it was leasehold and the price too high. — Mr. A. Paine moved that a committee be formed to confer with a similar committee already existing in the Town Council. The committee appointed consisted of Mr. Gant, Mr. North, Mr. Paine, Mr. Simmons, Mr. T. Smith and Mr. W. B. Young. — On the following Tuesday the committee conferred with the Town Council, and the Town Clerk was instructed to enquire of the South-Eastern Railway Company, if they had any ground to dispose of in the vicinity of the Railway Station.
A Deserved Memorial
Mr. E. Pepys, who had been residing at Hastings Lodge, had liberally contributed to the schools and other institutions, and among his more recent acts of liberality had given £20 towards fitting up the Infirmary with gas, and offered to pay four guineas a year for several years towards the current expense of lighting. He was about to leave Hastings, and on the 10th of March, the Mayor, with Mr. G. Scrivens, Rev. H. S. Foyster, Rev. J. Parkin, Rev. H. G. C. Smith, Rev. W. W. Hume, Messrs. W. B. Young, J. Amoore, C. Duke, C. Burfield and F. Hoad, went to Hastings Lodge, as a deputation and presented -
